Time to Shine
by meggyandsophbff
Summary: It's the day of Cece's wedding and a million things are running through the minds of Jessica Day and Nicholas Miller. Are they roommates? Or something more? But what if the unexpected happens? And what about the fallout from these events? Chapters 5 plus are a bit sci-fi. LAST CHAPTER IS UP. May have some epilogues coming though! Thanks for the support everyone!
1. Chapter 1- Cece's Wedding

Today was Cece's wedding, and Jess still had a million things to do. And the fact that she set her alarm for the wrong time did not help. All that Jess could think about was Nick. He had set up a romantic breakfast on top of the roof. She was pretty pissed that Schmidt interrupted them again, but Jess saw the breakfast as a sign. Nick had been so confusing to her lately, what with the mixed signals from their so-called date. Jess had decided that she was going to ask Nick to be her date to the wedding.

Jess walked into the kitchen to get a quick breakfast, probably some cereal. Only to her surprise did she see that breakfast was already made for her. Jess was shocked, but happy. Nick had cared about her enough to make her not one, not two, but three breakfasts.

"Good morning Jessica. I thought maybe the third time'd be the charm. Would you like to join me for breakfast?" Nick asked.

Jess glanced around and saw that he had gone all out with making this breakfast. She replied to him, "Aww, Nick. I really have a million things to do to get ready for the wedding." Nick's face began to show sadness and slipped into a slight frown. Jess felt really bad about this. Nick began to clean up the breakfast. He went to go leave the kitchen area, but Jess stopped him. She said, "Hey, Nick. I was thinking, how would you like to be my date to the wedding?" Nick perked right up and his brown eyes became very puppy-like. And for a second, Nick was going to lean in and kiss Jess, but he felt the timing was not quite right. Jess awkwardly left, making an excuse- it was no excuse, I suppose- that she had to put her sari on and get her hair done.

As soon as Jess finished getting ready, she came out into the living room. Bob, being the embarrassing parent that he was, was taking pictures of the gang. She kind of like it though, to be honest. Nick stared right at Jess when she came out into the room. He was smitten. For a moment, he stood there speechless. Winston said, "Jess, you look astonishing." Jess gave a slight smile and bobbed her head to the right. A captivated Nick still quietly stood there.

Jess looked back at Nick, only to see that he was wearing a very wrinkled and laid-back beach styled suit. It looked awful, but Nick was still smoking hot. "Nick, what are you wearing?" Jess asked.

"A suit. What's wrong with it? I didn't think Indian weddings had a certain dress code," Nick replied.

"Will you please change?" Nick sighed. He did not want to change. But then Jess gave him a look, one that said _please, for me _and he nodded. Nick went to leave for his room, only to be stopped by Bob.

"Wait, I need some more pictures!" Bob said. Nick begrudgingly came back for a few pictures. And of course, Jess had to join in for the pictures. Nick wanted Jess so bad. She looked stunning to him. He couldn't help it and wrapped his arm around her waist. For a second, he started regretting this movement. But then he saw that Jess was enjoying it. As soon as the round of pictures were over, Nick went back to his room to change. He came out in another god-awful suit. This one looked like it was thrown out of the 70's.

"What do you think?" Nick asked. At this point, Jess was the only one who had not yet left for the wedding. She shook her head.

"Here, let me come help you," she said as she placed her hand on his back. The two walked together to Nick's bedroom.

Jess started digging through Nick's closet. After looking for a few minutes, she finally found a nice suit. Upon finding it, she exclaimed, "See, now Nick, you'll look really sharp in this. Why did you not pick this in the first place?" Nick shrugged. Deep in side, he did not feel like he deserved to wear a fancy suit; he felt unworthy. His entire life was a failure: he dropped out of law school, could barely afford rent, and knew he was within words of screwing things up with the girl of his dreams. Jess gave a pleading look, but Nick kept silent. Jess walked over to Nick to hand him the suit. Of course, he was undressing slower than slow and they were already running late for the wedding.

"Ugh, Nick! Hurry up! We are going to be late for the wedding!" Jess yelled. She was frustrated with him. He was acting like such a child.

"I'm a grown man. I will dress myself at my own damn pace," Nick replied. By this point, Jess was ripping the ugly 70's suit off of Nick. One of Jess's hands was stroking the back of Nick's head. Her hand was slowly slipping down his neck and back. The other hand kept undressing Nick. At the same time, Nick was leaning in to Jess. He wanted her.

"Nick, we don't have time for this! We need to get to the wedding!" she said as she pushed him away. But she couldn't help it. There was something about his neediness that just turned her on. Jess pushed Nick down onto the bed and started pulling his pants off. All of a sudden, Jess's phone started ringing. A look of disappointment came over Nick. Jess mimicked one second with her fingers and picked up the phone.

"Yes, Cece, I'll be right there," Jess said into the phone. She also made some uh-huh noises and then hung up. "Nick, I need to go. There are some issues at the venue. Apparently some badger is loose in the air duct, and Cece says that apparently it's my job as maid of honor to take care of it. I don't have the time to stay here and get you ready. Just meet me over at the wedding," Jess said as she left the loft.

Nick didn't want to get to the wedding too early and engage in awkward social situations, so he decided to stay at the loft for a little while. No one was home, so he just decided to kick back on the couch in his birthday suit and click on a White Sox game. After sitting down, he realized that he wanted a beer. He walked into the kitchen and saw that Jess's purse was on the counter. What if she needed a womanly item from her purse? He knew that he had to get the purse to her. Nick got dressed quickly and headed out the door with Jess's purse.

Nick arrived at the venue with Jess's purse in tow. He walked down the hallway and peered into each room as he passed, hoping to find Jess. Finally, he came to a large, open room. The ceremony was already underway and Cece and Shivrang were walking hand-in-hand in a circle. It was a bit strange, but Nick didn't mind. His eyes fixated on what they had been longing for: Jessica Day. She was standing there, looking gorgeous. Nick, quietly and slowly, made his way over to her. He did not want to cause a disturbance.

Nick came up to Jess and whispered, "Jess, here, your purse. You forgot it at the loft," as he handed her the pink purse.

"Nick, that's so nice of you. Thank you," she whispered back, as she smiled. She gently touched her hand to Nick's forearm. He was finally dressed in a nice suit, and he looked pretty damn fine. Nick looked around, and saw Schmidt and Elizabeth. However, he could not find Winston.

"Hey, Jess, where's Winston?"

"Oh, he's up in the air duct capturing a badger. Ugh, I can't believe he tried to sabotage the wedding."

"But why would Winston want to sabotage the wedding? Does he secretly have a thing for Cece or what?"

"I really don't care. It's just my job to make sure that this wedding goes smoothly. And all I really care about is that badger being gone." Jess noticed that she said that a little louder than she should have. Panic broke out amongst the crowd.

A woman cried out, "Oh my God! There's a badger loose!"

Jess made a loud whistling noise and screamed out, "Calm down everybody! I've got this under control. I have my best people on it. Continue with the wedding." Aside to Nick, she said, "Nick, Winston's been up there far too long. Go get that badger." Nick nodded his head and was very take charge. He left to hunt down a custodian to get a ladder and went to another room to enter the duct. There were to be no more distractions from the ceremony. This take-charge side of Nick was almost too much for Jess to handle. She was massively turned on right now and could barely focus on the ceremony.

After a little while, Winston approached Jess. He said, "Jess, Nick is stuck in the air duct." Jess glanced down and saw that Winston had the caged badger I hand. She was relieved.

Jess replied, "What do you mean stuck?"

"He's just stuck. I don't know."

"Well, I guess I'll just go up there. Do you have anything that could help loosen him up?" Winston shook his head.

Schmidt must've overheard the conversation and came to Jess's aid. As he handed Jess some lubricant, he said, "Here, this lube should do the job." Jess wasn't quite sure what to say, so she grabbed it and nodded. And so up into the air ducts she went. She was on a mission: to rescue Nick.

After searching around the ducts for a few minutes, she finally found a trapped Nick. It appeared that he was stuck at the sides. Jess approached him and started opening the lube.

"Jess, what are you doing?" Nick asked.

"I'm freeing you with lube. What else would it look like I'm doing?" Jess said in a very unpleased voice. She climbed on top of him and started spreading the lube around. It was not working. Matter of fact, Jess also happened to get stuck right on top of Nick.

"Great. Now we're both stuck," Nick said as he slipped in to his infamous turtle face. But before he could say anything else, Jess was already starting to kiss him. He was there, in a suit, and Jess just could not help herself. She had to have him, right then and right there.

Nick wanted to stop her, but his arms were stuck at his side. He knew that things could not continue on like this. He interrupted her by saying, "Jess, wait. What are we?" Jess could not think of anything and was just lying there on top of him. Nick gave her a moment, but she still said nothing. "I mean, I know I can't be your boyfriend. I'm too much of a mess. _We're_ too much of a mess." Jess shook her head and Nick continued onward, "Ok, then look me in the face and tell me that there isn't a part of you that's scared, and that thinks it's a mistake. Me and you." Before she could reply, the weight of their bodies caused the bottom of the duct to give way and they fell straight onto the mandap. The wedding stopped and all eyes were on both Nick and Jess.

"Cece, Shivrang, I'm so sorry, but do continue on with the ceremony," Jess apologized as her and Nick walked towards the doorway.

Some family member of Cece's stopped Jess briefly. It was Cece's nana. She said to Jess, "Oh, darling, you look stunning. And who is this fine young man that you have with you?"

Jess responded, "Oh, it's just Nick, my boyfriend." Jess instantly realized the mistake that she had made. Nick's face became a pale white. Jess didn't want any more squabbles and tried to play it off. She awkwardly put her arm around Nick in a couple-like manner.

"Excuse me, Cece's nana, but Jess and I need to have a little talk out in the hallway. Don't we doll?" Jess nodded, and the two walked out into the hallway.

"Your boyfriend? What the hell was that about Jess?" Nick angrily asked. Jess shrugged. She honestly did not even know what it was about.

"Jess, is that what you want? For me to be your boyfriend?" Jess was silent. She didn't know what she wanted. What if Nick didn't want to be with her? Honestly, she wanted whatever her grumpy mystery wanted.

Jess looked deep into Nick's eyes and asked, "Nick, tell me. What do _you_ want?" Nick stood there, in silence. He was looking right at the woman he loved, unable to express his true feelings. On one end, he wanted to tell her how much she meant to him. He wanted to be hers. And then on the other end, he knew there would be someone better out there for her. Someone who wasn't a complete mess. Someone who could support her and give her all that he couldn't. Nick just couldn't bring himself to say it, and so he let out a silent sigh.

Jess teared up with emotion and looked away, wanting to hide her tears from Nick. She wanted Nick to come clean and confess his feelings. He was something that she had wanted. She was tired of him bottling everything up. Jess glanced back at Nick real quick and saw that he was in emotional agony. She could not do this right now, especially amidst Cece's wedding. More importantly, Jess did not want to seem weak in front of everyone. Without muttering a word to Nick, she began for the hotel across the street.

Nick instantly knew the mistake he had made. Those tears were obviously a sign that she wanted him too. Nick peered out the window, only to see Jess sitting on the curb in front of the hotel. She looked absolutely stunning to him. She looked ravishing in her sari, and despite the crying, her eyes were even more beautiful than usual. Nick knew what he had to do. He had to tell her that he loved her. Nick dashed out of the venue and started heading for the hotel. He was not thinking. After all, the best things in life happen when you aren't thinking, right? Running out the door, he felt a sense of joy and adrenaline. His undone tie was blowing in the wind. It was muggy outside, so he pushed his crisp dress shirt sleeves up as he ran. He was completely focused on his Jessica; she was sitting there, and she was just three little words away from being his.

All of a sudden, Jess started yelling out to Nick. All that Nick could hear was _Nick, no! _Nick turned around, only to see that a car was right there. And just like that, it was already too late. He had been hit. Devastated, Jess dashed to his side. By the time she got there, he was already dead. His head was bashed in, and his blood was smeared everywhere. The street was a crimson red. The man that hit him came out, hoping that everything would be okay. He saw Nick's body, and was in shock. The man was able to let out a brief apology. Jess wanted none of it, and yelled out, "Just go!" The man left, still in shock. The police were there with handcuffs to take him away.

The police gave Jess a moment. She was kneeling next to him in the middle of the road. She was sobbing and stroking his head. Jess could not fathom the idea that the man she loved was dead. At first, she refused to believe it. She kept saying, "Nicholas! Nicholas, can you hear me?" And of course, there was no response. She continued to sit there, crying. The police and medics were being kind to her; they had let her sit next to him an unusual amount of time. Finally, they had to move Jess. The road needed to be reopened. A shocked Jess went back to the venue. The wedding had been cancelled due to Nick's death. Cece was waiting in the doorway for Jess with open arms. Jess collapsed into her best friend's arms. She rested her head on Cece's shoulders and just let it all out.

Cece continued to be there for Jess, saying, "Shh, shh, it's all going to be okay." Schmidt, Elizabeth, and Winston (with a caged badger in hand) sat on a bench near the doorway. They could not believe what had just happened.

Schmidt said to Winston, "Hey, I think you can get rid of that badger now. The wedding's not happening."

"I don't know, I kind of like him," Winston replied.

Jess woke up, just like any other ordinary day. Except today was no ordinary day. It was Nick's funeral. Jess had taken over the planning for the funeral since Nick's family was so incompetent. Winston and Schmidt had helped her a little, but they couldn't make it through the planning. To be quite honest, neither could she. However, she was the only one who could do it. Of all the people in the world, Jess was still the one Nick could count on, even after death. Jess wanted everything to be perfect for Nick. After all, his funeral's his time to shine.

Jess was ready, but Winston and Schmidt were running behind. Cece was more than likely already at the funeral, along with Nick's family. "Schmidt! Winston! We have to go!" Jess yelled from the kitchen. She was impatiently waiting for them to get ready. She heard no response and decided to go knock on Winston's door. Still no answer. Jess decided to just open the door. Winston was in there, broken down and crying, and Schmidt was dozing off in a chair in Winston's room.

"I can't do this!" Jess cried out. She had been strong for far too long. She'd pulled everything together in a few short days, and was bound to crack. Especially since this was her Nicholas's funeral. Not only did Jess have to deal with the funeral, but she also had to deal with the cancellation of Cece's wedding. Jess was the maid of honor, and it was her responsibility to deal with the fall out. Jess collapsed onto the bed next to Winston and cried next to him. Exhausted, she had unintentionally fallen asleep right there.

Jess awoke to a knocking noise. Looking around, she saw that Schmidt and Winston were gone. She got up, wiped her eyes, and tried to straighten out her dress a bit. Her black dress was now wrinkled and her hair a mess. Jess got up and opened the door. It was Mama Miller. Mama Miller let out a sad little smile, and hugged Jess. After a minute or so, she said, "Come on Jess. We've got to get going. The funeral's about the start."

Jess pulled out her phone and looked at the time. It said 10:40 am. The funeral was to start at 11:00 am, but she still had so much to do. Jess upsettingly said, "Crap! I slept too far! There's still so much to do. Everything has to be perfect!"

Mama Miller began consoling a deeply depressed Jess. Mama Miller said, "Jess, the boys and I finished the last preparations."

"You? You did that? Just so I could have a little sleep?" asked a stunned Jess.

"Of course. He's my son. Jess, you've done so much for him. I just want to thank you for taking care of him." She smiled and wiped away the last of her tears. The two walked out the door and headed to the funeral.

Upon arrival, Jess noticed that her and Mama Miller were the last ones there. The funeral was actually waiting for them to arrive to get under way. As Jess walked in, feels began to overcome her. She was not at all prepared for this. She walked slowly, hoping that stalling would help overcome her feelings. It did not help though. Jess sat down in the front pew, right next to Cece. Mama Miller sat directly behind her. As soon as Mama Miller sat down, Jamie put his arm around her and briefly put his head on her shoulder in assurance. The priest got under way with the ceremony.

The ceremony was nice and simple. It outlined Nick's life, both his high and low moments. Everyone took turns going up and telling his or her stories about Nick. Schmidt told of the time that Nick bought him a cookie, and how close they were. Cece went up and just talked about how she thought Nick was a nice guy. To be quite honest, her and Nick never really spent any time together. Winston had a whole speech written out, but he couldn't manage to say any of it. He ended up losing it, just as he did at Pop-Pop's funeral. During the planning, everyone decided that Jess should be the one to close out the funeral. Jess didn't want the task, but no one else was willing to undertake it.

Jess walked up there, filled with nerve and emotion. She honestly had not prepared anything and was still unsure of what to say. After a short pause, she began, "Umm, I'm a bit at a loss for words right now. Sorry, it's been a hard day," she said as she wiped tears away. "Nick was an amazing guy, and," she started crying again. She could not bring herself to do this eulogy. Instead, she stood there and let her eyes tell the story. At that moment, everyone got a glimpse into Jess's soul and the love she had for Nick. The room got quiet. After she thought she had been standing there for long enough, she went over to the casket. Nick was in a suit, and damn did he look hot to trot. Jess took a card out of her purse and wrote something down. Without anyone seeing what she wrote, she placed it in the pocket of Nick's suit. She then leaned down and kissed his forehead. Alas, she whispered in his ear, "_Goodbye Nicholas_."


	2. Chapter 2- Trip to Portland

It was about a month and a half after Nick's death and Jess decided to embark on a girls' weekend away with Cece. They were headed to Portland. The two needed a break from their problems. They hoped that they could run and just leave all of their problems behind. Jess had just gotten over her heavy crying phase of her mourning and Cece was upset over Schmidt. After the wedding got called off, she decided she wanted to be with Schmidt. However, when faced with a choice between Cece and Elizabeth, Schmidt chose Elizabeth. And to be quite honest, Schmizabeth was another reason that Jess had to get out of the loft for a bit. They were just doing it so much. The loft was a terrible place for Jess. Especially since memories of Nick lurked around every corner.

Jess and Cece were somewhere in southern Oregon; Jess was behind the wheel. Cece turned to Jess and asked, "Jess, you know what could solve your problem?"

"What?" Jess responded curiously. She was willing to try just about anything to get her mind back to normal.

"A one-night stand," Cece said with a little smirk.

Jess shook her head and said, "No way. It's just too soon."

"Come on, it's been nearly two months. Just give it a shot." Jess contemplated the idea and decided it might work. She actually got excited about the idea of a rebound and began to sing her rebound song, _She's going out to find a re- _but before she could finish, "You Can Call Me Al" came on the radio. Jess started bursting out in tears.

"Jess, hon, pull over. Let me drive," Cece said. She definitely did not want an accident to occur. Jess did just that and Cece took over the wheel. They were in a small, rural town and it was dark out. It was possibly near midnight. Cece gave Jess a quick glance to make sure she was holding up, but she definitely was not all right at all. Cece jerked the wheel and started making a U-turn.

"Cece, what are you doing?" Jess cried out in panic.

"We passed a bar a couple miles back. We're gonna get you that rebound! Or drunk! Or both!" Jess instantly regretted her decision to have Cece find her a one-night stand.

Cece pulled into the bar's parking lot. The place seemed to be empty and there weren't any other buildings nearby. The two stepped out of the car and into the dark, brisk night. Cece was happy to help Jess move on, but Jess was just a mess. As they walked in, they saw that the only person there was the bartender. He looked pretty young, almost about 18.

"Hi there, do you work at this bar?" Cece asked him. He nodded without saying a word. He was one of those quiet _I don't give a shit about your problems_ types of bartenders, which was fine by them. They only cared about getting Jess laid or drunk. It'd have to be the latter of the two, seeing as how the place was near vacant.

It was now two or three in the morning, and Jess had had a couple to drink. A man then walked into the bar. He was: fiftyish, a bit heavy set, had a long scruffy beard, and was wearing mostly camouflage. He looked like he had just come from hunting trip. He sat down next to them and ordered a beer. Cece gave Jess a _you wanna hook up with him?_ look. Jess responded back with a _hell no!_ look. Cece smiled and gave a soft wave to the guy. He smiled back and raised his beer as a way of saying hello. Jess elbowed Cece to knock it off. It was too late. He was already coming over closer to them.

"Well hi there, young ladies," he said.

Jess covered her face. She could not believe this was happening. Cece replied, "This is my friend Jess, and-"

Jess had cut her off and said, "We've got to get going. We need to be getting to hotel." Jess started to walk out of the bar, but the guy stopped her by grabbing her arm with a tight grip. Jess let out a scream. This guy wasn't about to take no for an answer. Jess started screaming for help, but she saw that the bartender was cowering in the back. All of a sudden, Cece came to Jess's rescue. She kneed the guy in the groins. He did not like this and began to fight back. He threw a left hook and hit Cece's face.

"No! Don't you dare screw up my face! It's my job!" Cece yelled out. Now she was pissed. She grabbed out a bottle and hit him over the head. He fell down unconscious, but had no signs of injury. He would recover just fine.

"Come on Jess, let's get out of here!" Cece yelled as she headed for the door.

"We have to call the cops!" Jess screamed.

"No! The cops are just going to take his side. He doesn't looked injured and isn't bleeding or anything, so he shouldn't call the cops over anything either."

"But what about the bartender?"

"Please, he's underage and tending a bar. Do you think he's going to call the cops anytime soon?" Jess looked over and the boy nodded. The two left for the car. Cece was to drive since she hadn't consumed any alcohol.

After heading off, Cece's nose began to bleed. There wasn't anywhere to stop at and there wouldn't be for another hour's time, so they decided to temporarily pull over. "Crap. Jess, do you have anything I can use to stop the bleeding until we get somewhere?" Jess shook her head. "No tampon or anything?" Jess shook her head again. To be quite honest, Jess could not remember the last time she had to use a tampon. Her heart sunk and she became very still. She was quiet for a little too long and Cece asked in a concerned voice, "Jess, what is it?"

"My period, I think it's a bit late," Jess said as a few tears rolled down her cheek.


	3. Chapter 3- A New Beginning

Jess was 20 weeks along with her and Nick's baby and had an appointment with Sadie today. Matter of fact, Jess was moving out of the loft today. She needed to find somewhere proper to raise her child. She figured she'd move back home to Portland; her parents would be there to help her with the baby. She was in the waiting room for her appointment and dazing off. She'd been sentimental all day for she was leaving some great friends behind. It can be scary starting anew but it had to be done, a new beginning, for the baby. A woman sat down- maybe 8 months or so along- and interrupted Jess mid-thought by asking, "Hi there. How far along are you?"

"20 weeks," Jess responded.

"Oh, 20 week appointment! You find out the sex of the baby today." Jess hadn't known that she was finding out the sex today, but she guessed it was a nice little surprise. The lady butted in again, "So what sex are you hoping for?" Jess hadn't given this much thought. Honestly, she did not care.

Jess shrugged and replied, "I know this is cliché, but just as long as it's healthy-"

The woman interrupted her again- yes this woman was really fucking annoying, couldn't she just leave Jess alone already- by saying, "And cute as a button!"

"Umm, I don't really think looks matter," Jess said. The woman's face dropped. She wasn't too happy with Jess now and stopped pestering Jess. Jess started dazing off again. What would the baby look like? Part of her wanted the baby to look just like Nick, so she could see his beautiful features once again. The other part of Jess wanted the baby to look nothing like Nick. She wasn't sure if she could handle the pain of seeing these features once more.

"Jess, Sadie's ready for you," the nurse said as she stepped out of the door. Jess got up and walked through the door and into her appointment. She was filled with nerve. Would it be a boy? Or a girl?

"Jess, how ya holding up?" Sadie asked as she greeted Jess.

Jess sat down on the bed and replied, "I'm doing good. Moving out to Portland today."

"I've heard. You come back and visit now, ok?" Jess nodded.

Jess got to hear the baby's heartbeat and then came the ultrasound. "Jess, would you like to know the baby's gender?" Sadie asked. Jess nodded. "It's a boy." Jess looked at the ultrasound screen and thought: _Nicholas, you are going to be the most loved little boy in the whole entire world_.


	4. Chapter 4- Whiffles and Concussions

Jess felt guilty that she hadn't been back to visit California in seven years. But honestly, it was just too hard to live there after everything that happened. She was headed back there today because Nicholas had been begging. Nicholas was a very high maintenance child, especially for a seven year-old. For one, he didn't enjoy nicknames and got angry if anyone called him Nick or Nicky. He was also very bright and always asking questions. Jess often didn't know the answers to the questions, and Nicholas would make her Google them. Nicholas had his mother's persistence and enthusiasm, coupled with his father's stubbornness. These were sometimes a lethal combination. Along with these personality traits, Nicholas was also a hypochondriac and always making Jess take him to the doctor's. As for physical appearances, Nicholas was a skinny little guy. He had his mother's big blue eyes and had short brown hair. Nicholas very much had his father's facial structure, especially the turtle face. Whenever he wanted something, he used the turtle face on Jess- he knew it was her weakness.

Jess arrived at the loft. Nicholas was holding her hand. "Now Nicholas, these people have been really wanting to meet you, so be on your best behavior."

Nicholas looked up at Jess and said, "Then why haven't I met them yet?"

"Mommy's told you, it's very complicated." Nicholas let out a sigh as Jess knocked on the door. Winston came and opened the door. Everyone was there. Well, just about everyone. Elizabeth was at work. Her and Schmidt were now engaged. Cece was there with her new husband, James. Jess didn't know much about James with the exception that he was some sort of photographer. Cece and James were in the process of adopting a little girl from India. Cece had been told that she could no longer conceive a child. Winston was there, all alone. He still hadn't found love.

"Hi Nicholas," everyone said as Nicholas waved back. Jess smiled; she had not seen her friends in seven years.

"Come give me some skin man," Schmidt said as him and Nicholas shook hands.

"Mommy, can I go wash my hands?" Nicholas asked.

"Sure honey, Uncle Schmidt was just being nice," Jess said as Nicholas went off to wash his hands.

"Does he have OCD or something?" James asked.

"No, he has hypochondria. He just thinks he has OCD," Jess replied.

Winston busted into the conversation by saying, "Jess, I have an idea! Why don't you and Cece go out? I know that you've been dying for some time out. Nicholas can stay with us and have some guys' time."

"I don't know, I know how he gets."

Cece said, "Jess, please? We need some girl time." Jess begrudgingly nodded.

"Ok, but you guys need to be careful with him. He's delicate, just like his father was." Nicholas came out from washing his hands and stood by Jess's side. Jess looked at him and said, "Nicholas, honey, mommy's going to go out with Aunt Cece for a little bit. I will be right back. You get to have some guys' time with Uncle Schmidt, Uncle Winston, and Uncle James. Be a good boy, you hear?"

"No, mommy, don't leave me!" Nicholas said as he clutched onto Jess's leg.

"Honey, I have to go," said Jess as she tried prying Nicholas off her leg. She couldn't manage, so Schmidt came over to help. He grabbed Nicholas off of her leg.

"Mommy loves you," Jess said as she stalled her way out of the door.

"Come on, Jess," Cece said while gently pushing her out the door.

Jess blew Nicholas a kiss and said, "Call me if you need anything, boys." And on that note, Jess and Cece were out the door.

"Hey, Jess, let's go to the bar," Cece said. Jess stayed quiet. She was not quite sure what to say. And honestly, visiting there would bring back some of the tears. "It's been seven years and you have not gone on a date or anything. Jess, I think you need this. Don't you need someone to take care of your needs?" Jess shrugged. "I mean, seven years without sex? That's gotta be like hell."

"Fine, let's go," Jess responded to shut Cece up from talking.

They got to the bar, and Jess had her eyes on the new bartender- a thirty-something named Clark.

"Jess, you like what you see?" Cece asked as she pointed to Clark.

"Momma like," she responded.

"Let me wing woman you," Cece responded. Clark came over to pour the ladies a drink. Clark didn't recognize Jess as a usual bar-comer.

"Are you new in town?" Clark asked Jess. Jess looked around for Cece. She didn't want to screw anything up. Cece was across the bar; she had left Jess alone with Clark. Jess was nervous, but she worked up the courage to respond.

"Actually, no, I used to live here. Just visiting," Jess responded.

"You know I can take you around town, to show you all the cool new venues," Clark said as he smiled at her. Just then, Jess's phone rang. It was the boys and there had been an incident at the loft.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go," Jess responded. Jess grabbed Cece to leave.

"Jess, why are you running away?" Cece asked, very displeased towards Jess.

"The boys said there's been an emergency."

Once they got to the loft, Jess barged in the door. She wanted her little Nicholas to be okay. Upon walking in, she saw that Nicholas was clutching the back of his head.

"Boys, what happened?" Jess asked angrily.

"Nothing! He's fine. We were just playing some baseball and the ball hit the back of his head. There's no swelling or anything, and we were just using a whiffle ball," James said.

"I am not fine! I have a concussion!" Nicholas screamed out.

Jess pulled Schmidt aside and whispered, "Why'd you call saying it was an emergency?"

"Because, he did the thing," Schmidt replied.

"What thing?"

"You know, the turtle face." Jess let out a sigh. It was hard to say no to Nicholas when he knew how to use the turtle face to his advantage.

"Nicholas, honey, you're fine," Jess said.

"I am not!" Nicholas screamed. "Take me to the doctor's!"

"Nicholas, no," Jess responded. Nicholas slipped into the turtle face, and there was no sign of him giving in.

"Hey, kid, you know your face will freeze like that if you keep it up," Winston said to Nicholas.

"That's a lie!" Nicholas said as he kept the turtle face on. He wasn't falling for any of that shit.

"Come on, let's go," Jess said as she grabbed Nicholas to leave.

Once Jess and Nicholas got to the doctor's office, Jess went up to the secretary to get the forms.

"You'll be seeing Dr. Sam today," the secretary said to Jess.

"No, someone else please," Jess responded.

"I'm sorry, but he's the only pediatrician on call." Jess sighed and grabbed the forms.

Nicholas tugged on Jess's sleeve and asked, "Mommy, why don't you like Dr. Sam?"

"Honey, it's one of those things that is very complicated." Nicholas scoffed.

Jess and Nicholas had waited in the waiting room for some time before the nurse came out. She took Nicholas's temperature, height, weight, and all that other normal stuff. Then, it was time for the appointment with Dr. Sam. Jess had mixed feelings. As soon as Sam came in, he greeted the two warmly.

"Jess, long time no see," Sam said with a smile on his face. Jess glanced at Sam's hand: no wedding ring. "And, Nick," he said as he greeted Nicholas.

"It's Nicholas," Nicholas blurted out. He did not like this Dr. Sam. He called him Nick and was making goo-goo eyes at his mother.

"So, what seems to be wrong, kiddo?" Sam asked Nicholas.

"I have a concussion," Nicholas said.

Before Sam could say anything, Jess asked if she could talk to him out in the hall for a bit. Sam agreed. Once they were in the hall, Jess said, "Sam, he has hypochondria. Just tell him he doesn't have one and that he'll be alright."

"Jess, are you alright?" Sam asked as he lovingly peered into her eyes.

"Yeah, I think so," she said.

"Listen, as long as you and Nicholas are in town, I'd love to take the two of you out sometime."

Jess smiled and said, "That sounds great." Both were delighted, and Sam leaned in and kissed Jess. Jess kissed him back. The two went back into the room to comfort young Nicholas.


	5. Chapter 5- The Obsession Begins

It was a sunny day here in New York. Dr. Frobisher was enjoying her drive into work. Today was no ordinary day. The resurrection machine had been perfected and today was the final test. As soon as she got to work and got into the testing lab, she asked Dr. Shale, "Who's the lucky lad this time?"

Dr. Shale pulled the record out and responded, "A Mr. Nicholas J. Miller. Records say he goes by Nick." They had been testing the resurrection machine on bodies that had been donated to science. Dr. Shale pulled the body bag out, unzipped it, and placed Nick on the table inside of the machine. The machine was quite large and looked somewhat like an MRI machine.

Dr. Frobisher looked at Nick and said, "This one actually looks quite cute. He almost looks restless, as if he has some sort of unfinished business." She looked over at Dr. Shale and said, "You ready?" He nodded in approval and Dr. Frobisher pulled down the lever. A bright flash came out of the machine. Dr. Shale went up to the machine to see how Nick was. Nick's eyes were opened and a confused look was drawn upon his face.

"Nick, I am Dr. Shale. You were killed 10 years ago by a car," Dr. Shale explained.

"Are you crazy? I'm not dead. Look, I'm talking," Nick said. He still could not wrap his mind around what was going on.

Dr. Frobisher chimed in, "You're not dead now because the experiment worked." Nick just stared at them in confusion.

"Look, I really have someone I have to see if you don't mind," Nick said as he got up out of the machine. He still didn't believe that he had died. The only thing on Nick's mind was finding his Jessica and telling her he loved her. Dr. Shale stopped him.

"Listen, this resurrection came with some restrictions," Dr. Shale said. He continued, "You only have 48 hours and then you're gone. Forever." Nick still didn't believe any of this crap. His best assumption was that he was having some weird dream. Dr. Frobisher took out some sort of device and pressed it against Nick's wrist. It was painful and Nick let out that girly scream of his.

"What the hell was that for?" Nick asked.

"This embedded a countdown on your wrist. When it hits zero, your time is up and you will pass out. Then you will be transported here and become dead again," Dr. Frobisher explained.

Dr. Shale said, "We're letting you have some freedom during these 48 hours. Just try not to do anything stupid. And we have a tracker on you, so don't think the cops can't be there in a heartbeat." Dr. Frobisher and Dr. Shale had looked up Nick's file: no past violence, imprisonment, or family. They figured he would be a safe bet as the first subject. Nick didn't say anything to either Dr. Frobisher or Dr. Shale- he just ran out the door. He had to find Jess.

Nick was out of the testing lab. He went to the closest market to find a newspaper, but he couldn't find one. Had all newspapers fallen off the face of the Earth? Nick spotted a man with an iPad- at least he thought it was an iPad. The device looked a bit different and was quite slimmer.

"Excuse me sir, can I please borrow that for a second?" he asked as he pointed to the device.

"Sure," the man replied as he handed the device to Nick. Nick was not sure how to use the device. He tried clicking on it, but nothing happened. The man saw Nick struggling and said aloud, "Oh, you're one of those types." Nick looked back at him with a mixture of anger, confusion, and desperation in his brown puppy-like eyes. The man decided to show Nick how to work the device. Once Nick grasped the concept behind it, he opened up the daily newspaper. Today was August 15th, 2023 and he was in New York City, New York. Nick's heart stopped. Dr. Frobisher and Dr. Shale were right. He had been dead. Nick couldn't believe it. Jess was probably moved on by now. No matter what though, Nick had to tell her those three words. He had to get across the entire country in the allotted time. It'd be difficult, but it was something he had to do. He'd be ok with his death once he could say those three words to her face.

"Thank you," Nick said as he began his journey across the country. It was a long journey, but it would be worth it. Once Nick got back to the loft, he only had about an hour left on his countdown. Nick found the spare key to the loft in its normal place and opened up the door. The loft was deserted. "NOOO!" Nick yelled as he slammed the door. He only had about an hour to track Jess down.

Nick spent most of his remaining time left driving all over town to find Jess. Finally, Nick found her at the beach. Nick got out of his rented car and started to walk up to her. He saw that she was with Sam. Nick sat out of sight and just watched her. He never approached her, and there was one simple reason: Sam and Jess had a son. Nick did not want to screw up their family. Jess was happy, and that was all he could ever ask for. Yes, it felt like his heart was fractured into a million pieces, but soon it would all be over and he'd be dead again.

"Mom, can I go down to that end of the beach?" Nicholas asked as he pointed to the left. Sam and Jess (still dating at this point-Sam was waiting for Nicholas's approval to propose to Jess) were happily walking hand-in-hand down the beach.

"Sure Nicholas," Jess responded. Nick's heart just about stopped- which was quite something, seeing as how he was technically already dead. This boy was not Sam's son. He was his son. Tears started rolling down Nick's cheeks. This boy had the most beautiful eyes in the world; he had his mother's eyes. Nick contemplated going up to Jess now, but he couldn't do that. He did not want to say hello only to have to say goodbye again. It would break Jess's poor little heart all over again, and that was something no one should have to experience. So Nick continued to watch them with tears in his eyes.

Just then, Nicholas spotted Nick. Nicholas started walking towards Nick to get a closer look. Nick started shaking his head to come no farther. Nicholas, being the bright boy he was, had put two and two together and knew that this was the man that his mother had cried herself to sleep over for the longest time. Nicholas knew that he could not tell his mother about this. It would only upset her, and she was finally happy. On this note, Nicholas had decided he would give Sam, or Samuel as Nicholas called him, his blessing. However, Nicholas could not help but take another step towards his father. Nick shook his head again, conveying two messages: please don't come any closer and please don't tell your mother. Nicholas nodded his head in agreement, but subconsciously took yet another step forward. He was now steps within his father.

"Nich-" Nick became to say as a single tear dropped down his cheek, but his time had run out. Nick collapsed to the ground and was teleported away. After that day, Dr. Frobisher and Dr. Shale never used their resurrection machine again. Something important happened that day for Nicholas. A fire had ignited something deep within his soul- an obsession.


	6. Chapter 6- Let it Go

"Nicholas," Jess said as she stopped Nicholas from heading out the door.

"What mom?" Nicholas asked. He was anxious to get out of the door. Nicholas was only 14, but he attended a college not too far from the house. Nicholas was interested, or more accurately obsessed, with technology. Particularly, Nicholas had been working in the labs on his resurrection machine. He was a prodigy and believed he'd successfully make it. Even though his mother was happy with Samuel now (Jess wanted Nicholas to call him dad, but he simply refused) he had to make the machine and bring his father back. The look in Nick's eyes while looking at him-Nicholas- and Jess portrayed such anguish; he just had to do something about it. In fact, today was the day that he put the last piece on his machine. Once the machine was finished, all he would need to do was acquire Nick's body. He thought this part would be simple.

"Don't forget your lunch," Jess responded as she handed her son his lunch.

"Thanks, mom," Nicholas smiled as Jess gave Nicholas a small kiss on the forehead. She was beyond proud of Nicholas and of the bright young man he had become. Nicholas stepped out of the door, excited for the day. To be quite honest, working on this machine was all that Nicholas did. No one had ever bothered at being his friend. No one did so much as talk to him. Nicholas was that young kid that sat at the back of the room, for fear of social humiliation. Nicholas was a scrawny little thing. He looked about 2 years younger than his actual age. Along with his weak physique, Nicholas tended to give in to people's demands. He'd been pushed around enough and the beatings just weren't worth it.

Nicholas spent the whole class period thinking about finishing the machine. He didn't even care about what was going on in lecture right now. There was some group project going on. However, Nicholas was working on his own. No one cared to work with the "baby" of the class. He shrugged it off. Soon enough he'd get his recognition. This machine would make him famous. Nicholas had already finished the group project and was tinkering about with some sort of device for his machine. Everyone else didn't understand why Nicholas cared so much. All they ever did was point and laugh at him. This bothered Nicholas. Why was it such a horrible thing that he work on technology outside of class? Nicholas honestly did not understand others.

The bell rang and Nicholas was ecstatic to get the lab to himself. "Dr. Samson, may I use the lab today?" Nicholas pleaded.

"Sure, just be sure to lock up," Dr. Samson said as he handed the key to Nicholas. Dr. Samson then left the room. This was it. Nicholas had the lab to himself now and was about to finish his machine. Nicholas took a small item out of his pocket. This was the energy piece for the machine. It was the only one in the world. To be quite honest, Nicholas had to do some bartering to get his hands on it. He actually had to pay some guy to help him steal it out of some archive in D.C. Nicholas promised the man that he'd bring the guy's dead wife back once the machine was up and running. This machine was going to be worth all the struggle, and worth all the pain.

Nicholas put the energy piece onto the machine and pulled the lever. The machine instantly lit up. According to his calculations, the machine would work; there was no doubt in his mind. Nicholas now just needed Nick's body. Nicholas was ready to leave the lab. It was probably about 9pm out and just getting dark. He took the energy piece off of the machine. He could not risk it getting stolen: it was a one of a kind. As promised, Nicholas locked the door up. He was walking down the hallway, which was pretty vacant. Not many were walking around the college at this time of night. Nicholas took out his phone and texted Jess that he was on his way home. Jess had no idea of the massive machine her son had been building. Nicholas knew it was in everyone's best interest that it was a secret. And he had promised his father with that solemn nod that he would not mention anything to Jess.

Nicholas continued walking, and then he spotted a shadow. It was Mark. He was some guy, maybe about 18 or 19, that was in one of Nicholas's classes. He was large and was a starter for the school's football team.

"Hey, it's the baby," Mark said as the two passed each other. "How are you?" Mark asked in a teasing voice. Nicholas didn't answer and just put his head down. He hoped to avoid confrontation.

"Hey, answer me Day," Mark said as he pushed Nicholas. Nicholas fell to the ground, as well as the energy piece that was in his pocket. The energy piece shattered as it hit the ground. The pieces were scattered all over the hallway. And in that instant, everything Nicholas worked for was gone. The machine would now never work. Tears of sadness, rage, and frustration came out. Mark was still standing there, grinning evilly at him. He was still expecting a response from Nicholas. Nicholas still did not answer. Rage was running through Nicholas's veins. He stood up and pushed Mark. Since Nicholas was a scrawny little thing with the body of a 12 year old, nothing happened. Mark let out a chuckle. Mark did not like the fact that Nicholas was not giving in as usual and slammed his fist into Nicholas's face. Nicholas fell to the ground again and bruises started to appear all over his face. A black eye was forming around Nicholas's left eye. Nicholas could not get up and Mark was still towering over him. Mark grabbed Nicholas and shoved him into a locker. Last but not least, Mark put a lock onto the locker.

"Answer me next time," Mark said as he laughed and walked away. Nicholas stayed there in the locker for a few minutes sobbing. Everything he was, everything he had worked for, would now never be. He had let everyone down, including his father. Nick Miller would never walk the Earth again. Nicholas didn't know what to do next. He did manage to pick the lock and escape the locker. He could not go home. He was a failure and his mother could not see such failure. Nicholas decided to walk around outside until he could find somewhere where he could be alone.

After searching through the darkness, Nicholas found a lonesome bench. He decided to lie down on the bench for a while. As he started to drift asleep, a girl came up to him. She was about 15 or so and had short, curly red hair. Her eyes were chocolate and freckles danced around her face. Nicholas couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and so they snapped shut. All Nicholas could think of was his lost dreams. He had lost all hope and the darkness began to lurk in his soul. Nicholas could not go on like this- this agony. Without that energy piece, there was nothing worth it anymore. There was now no light at the end of the tunnel. He'd have to endure this pain now for nothing. Just then, Nicholas felt the girl hold his hand. Nicholas hadn't realized it, but despite his eyes being shut, tears continued rolling down his cheeks. And then she spoke. All she said was, "Shh. Let it go." Nicholas then fell in to a deep sleep. That next morning, when Nicholas awoke, the girl was gone.


	7. Chapter 7- To Fix Things

Nicholas still did not want to go home and face the fallout from his failure. However, that girl had given him that little strength, hope, and determination that he had needed. And Jess would be there for him with open arms, no matter what. He just needed a way of explaining what happened without breaking his promise to his father. He had decided to say that he was mugged on the way home, knocked unconscious, and that's why he was late. Nicholas knew this meant he'd have to have something missing, so he hid his wallet underneath the bench; he'd eventually come back for it.

As Nicholas walked up to the house, he noticed a cop car in the driveway. Perhaps his mother called, worried that he hadn't showed up at the house. Everything would be okay, Nicholas kept telling himself. He anxiously walked up to the house and opened the door. Jess ran up and hugged him. The officer was sitting beside Samuel on the couch.

"Nicholas, honey, what happened?" Jess said in a very concerned voice.

"I was, uh, mugged and I don't really know what happened after that. I woke up in an alley, and now I'm here," Nicholas responded. Before anything else could be said, the officer came up and handcuffed Nicholas.

"Sir, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense." Nicholas kept quiet.

"What is going on here, officer?" Jess asked.

"I'm sorry misses, but your son is on the wanted list," he responded.

"Nicholas? Is this true?" Jess asked as she looked at her son. Nicholas didn't respond. His mother had lost all respect for him in that moment. Poor Nicholas's heart was broken. He'd now lost everything.

The officer chimed in, "Your son, along with an accomplice, stole the only white star energy device in existence. It was stolen from the archives in D.C. last week."

"No, this must be a mistake. Nicholas?" Jess was in disbelief. This was so out of Nicholas's character. Nicholas still did not say anything. He knew he had to wait for a lawyer.

"Ma'am, we're taking your son to Juvenile Detention," the officer responded.

"No, you can't!" Jess pleaded. She knew there had to be some good reason behind Nicholas's actions. Just look at his face. He had his father's sad puppy look and she could see the tears that he was holding in.

Samuel walked over to Jess, held her hand, and said, "Jess, it's ok, a little Juvenile Detention wouldn't hurt."

Jess stared confusedly at Samuel and said, "How could you say something like that?"

"Well, obviously he did steal that device or whatever, and he'll be out before you know it. The little champ will be ok," Samuel replied. Jess looked gutted. Nicholas took a deep look at his surroundings. He wasn't happy, and from the looks Jess and Samuel were giving each other, they weren't happy either. No one in this household was happy. How much longer could things go on like this? And just like that, Nicholas realized his work was not yet done. He had to find a way: a way to fix things. Jess cried as she watched the officer take her son away.


	8. Chapter 8- Nicholas and Melinda

Nicholas had been in Juvenile Detention for about a week, and to be quite honest, his life had remained the same. He wakes up, eats, gets beaten up by the older boys, and sulks about his worthless life. He had no clue when he'd get out. Well, age 18 he supposed, but he hoped he wouldn't go to jail after that. Nicholas didn't mind all the beatings now. He felt like he deserved them for letting everyone down. His mother hadn't even come to visit him yet. He wasn't sure why, Jess loved him dearly. Maybe Samuel was keeping her from visiting? Nicholas's obsession still ran deep. He had to bring his father back. His plan was to somehow make another energy piece after getting out. This was thought to be an impossible feat, but Nicholas felt like he could do it.

Nicholas was lying in bed. He had just come from supper. Nicholas had purposefully taken Jack's (some kid in here for murdering his mother) bread and Jack had beaten Nicholas senselessly. Again, Nicholas thought he wasn't getting punished near enough for his failure. He didn't know why, but he could not stop doing this- forcing himself into situations that tortured him. Nicholas was bruised pretty badly from head to toe, especially around his ribcage. A bloodied cut ran across his left cheek. Jack had been wearing a ring, which did quite a number on Nicholas's face. Nicholas had overheard the nurses talking about whether he'd need stitches. He wasn't called down to the medical examination room, so he figured he'd be fine. Funny enough, most of Nicholas's hypochondria had faded away when he was younger. As he lay there, plans for the energy device ran wild through his head.

"Day, you have a visitor," a guard said, disrupting Nicholas's train of thought. Nicholas was excited. The visitor had to be his mother. He was wrong; the visitor was not his mother. The girl from the bench had come. But why? Who was she? Nicholas didn't care all too much because he finally had a visitor. The guard let the girl into Nicholas's room. The guard didn't accompany her in, but he kept a watchful eye on the two.

"Who are you?" Nicholas asked as she sat across from him on the bed. She gave no answer, but held out her hand for a handshake. Although most of the hypochondria had faded, shaking hands was still something that Nicholas strongly disliked. Nicholas shook his head in refusal. The girl just gave a pleading nod. Nicholas let out a sigh and shook her hand. Soon as the handshaking was complete, the girl got up and started for the door. Nicholas was totally befuddled. "Wait!" Nicholas said as the girl stopped. He continued, "Will I see you again?" She didn't answer, but rather left. So many questions were unanswered. Just then, Nicholas saw that there was a small pill sandwiched between two of his fingers. He saw that the guard was escorting the girl out of the building and so he quickly swallowed the pill. He didn't hesitate. What was the worst that could happen? He could die. But he didn't care about death.

The next morning, Nicholas awoke in a strange house. It was a large house. He could tell from looking out the window. He appeared to be on the fifth or so level of a building. Nicholas turned around to see the girl sitting in a rocking chair. "You," Nicholas said. The freckles on her face looked absolutely beautiful in morning light. She still didn't say as much as a word to Nicholas. She walked out the door and Nicholas followed. As they walked down several flights of stairs, he realized that this girl was rich. And alone. Finally, the two approached the bottom level, or basement, of the mansion. The place had an enormous technology lab. The girl sat down at a desk and motioned for Nicholas to come sit with her.

"Are you going to tell me who you are now?" Nicholas asked as he sat down.

"I'm Mel," she said as she smiled. She had such a gentle little smile that seemed to melt Nicholas's heart. He wasn't quite sure why.

"What is Mel short for?"

"Melinda," she said in a displeased voiced. She thought the name sounded too girly.

"Nice to meet you, Melinda." Nicholas grinned.

"Nice to meet you, Nicky." Nicholas twitched a bit. He hated nicknames, but he brought this one on himself. He tried to hold it together, but he just couldn't.

"No, no. It's Nicholas," he blurted out, unable to contain the beast anymore.

"So long as you call me Melinda, you're getting called Nicky." Nicholas could not call her Mel, though. His skin was crawling. But at the same time, he felt exhilarated. What was happening to him? Nicholas noticed he hadn't said anything for a while, so Melinda started talking. "So, you may be wondering why I'm here," Nicholas nodded. "Well, my father sent me to get you. It was his dying wish."

"Deepest apologies," Nicholas said softly.

"It's okay. It's been two years."

"Then why'd you wait to contact me?"

"I dunno. You just looked so caught up in your little machine."

"Little?" Nicholas was beginning to have enough with her.

"Yeah, little. Compared to what daddy and me were working on. Any guesses?" Nicholas just sat there. He was too impatient for guessing games. He had gotten that trait from his father. Nicholas made his turtle face. He was not very impressed right now.

"A time machine," Melinda said after letting Nicholas sit there for a few minutes. Nicholas's heart sunk. Could this be true? Could he fix it all? Wait, why had she contacted him?

"So why do you need me?" Nicholas asked.

"Well, I'm not as smart as daddy was, but he left a note for me saying you were some prodigy that could do it. He was familiar with the work you'd been doing on your machine."

"But no one could have known about my machine," Nicholas said, irritated.

"Oh, daddy knew. Daddy knew everything. Just like the teleportation pill that got you here." Nicholas was still a bit irked that someone had found out about his machine. It was meant to be a secret. Nicholas was about to leave if it wasn't for the fact that this girl had a near functioning time machine.

"Let me see the designs," Nicholas said as the two got to work on the project of their lives.


	9. Chapter 9- Everything's Alright

**Hey guys! This is the last chapter! *sniff* Thanks for all the support! Reviews would be greatly appreciated since it's the last chapter! I may do up to 2 epilogues, so stay tuned! Thanks again! -M**

It had been 3 years now since Nicholas had agreed to help Melinda with the time machine. The two of them lived there. Nicholas was a wanted man- technically he was still legally a boy for a few more months- and could not go out in public. Melinda took care of all the groceries, errands, and etc. For all he knew, Jess thought he was dead. The pain and heart ache that Jess must me going through. _Just wait_ Nicholas would think. _Mom I promise, it'll be okay._

Today was the day that the time machine would be used. Melinda and Nicholas were a bit emotional today. They have wanted this moment for what seems like an eternity. The two were on good terms today, which could not be said for most days. The two were opposites and could not stand each other at times. However, they both needed each other.

"So, who's using the machine?" Nicholas asked. The two both damn well knew the machine could be used just once. Using the machine once would rewrite time, and rewrite the time line of the time machine. Nicholas looked into Melinda's eyes and saw agony.

"You are," Melinda responded. It was true that she could use it herself, bring back one of her parents, but it had to be Nicholas. She'd seen him suffer over the years, ever since she'd started tracking him. Nicholas had lived a tortured life.

"No, I can't," Nicholas lied in an attempt to comfort her. Honestly, he was glad he got to be the one to use it. And he knew he was a terrible human being for being glad.

"Honestly, it's ok," Melinda said as she reached out for Nicholas's hand. Melinda leaned in and gave Nicholas a kiss. This was the first time the two had kissed. Hell, it was the first time they'd kissed anyone ever.

"What was that for?" Nicholas asked. Just then he noticed that she was crying. And then it hit him. Their lives were about to be rewritten. Without each other. They'd both have new memories. For Nicholas, they'd be better and happier memories. Memories with his father. Memories with his mother. But memories without Melinda. A tear ran down Nicholas's face.

"This is the last time we'll ever see each other. The last time we will know who each other are," Melinda said as she gave Nicholas a hug. In a way, he was hers. She'd picked him up at his lowest and taken care of him. And now he would be happy. In a way, this is all she could want for Nicholas: a chance at a new life.

"Hey, Mel, thank you. For everything," Nicholas said. That was the first time he'd ever used a nickname for someone. She was special to him. Melinda ran up and gave him another hug as he walked towards the machine. Then they parted their ways. Forever.

Nicholas stepped into the machine, pressed the button, and off he went. This was it. The moment he'd prepared for all his life. Nicholas appeared right in front of the venue on May 14th, 2013. His mother was across the street crying. And just seconds later, Nick came out of the venue running. Before Nick could run all the way across the street, Nicholas ran up and pulled him out of traffic. Nick looked up and saw that he would've been dead if it weren't for this young boy. The young boy looked familiar to Nick, but he could not place his finger on it. Nicholas started choking up a bit and hugged his father.

"Is everything alright, man?" Nick asked concernedly.

"It is now," Nicholas said as he disappeared out of thin air- time had been rewritten, as well as the entirety of his life.

Nick was a bit shaken, but he had to get across the street. Before crossing this time, he looked both ways. Three times. He finally reached a despaired Jess. He sat next to her, put his arm around her, and said the three words he'd been longing to say: _I love you_.

**THE END**


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